Morocco crowned champions two months after Senegal final loss | OneFootball

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) decided this Tuesday to declare Morocco the champion of the African Cup of Nations, after sanctioning Senegal for a temporary abandonment in the final played on January 18. The organization determined that Senegal lost the match with a score of 3 to 0.

The decision was made by the Appeals Board, which found Senegal guilty of no-show after the incidents that occurred during the match in Rabat. Thus, the 1-0 victory they had achieved in overtime was annulled, and the title was taken away.

The conflict arose in overtime when the Congolese referee Jean Ndala awarded a penalty to Morocco. The decision provoked protests from the Senegalese players, who left the field. They later returned, the penalty was taken (saved by Mendy), and Senegal ended up winning the match with a goal by Pape Gueye.

In the official statement, the CAF explained that it applied the regulation that sanctions the interruption of the match, thus declaring Senegal lost the match and proclaiming Morocco as the champion. Additionally, some disciplinary sanctions were modified: the penalty for Moroccan player Ismaël Saibari was reduced, and financial penalties were adjusted for the Moroccan federation due to various incidents during the match.

With this historic decision, Morocco will arrive at the 2026 World Cup as the African champion, while Senegal loses a title they had already celebrated on the field.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.